Page 48 of Dumped for a Christmas Tree Farmer

No, she’s worth it. She deserves the best. Even if she doesn’t come to Seattle, which I hope she does, I want her to have options. So I do what I do best: I get to work.

“There’s something else I need, too. Can you arrange a rendezvous with Miss Montgomery?”

His eyes narrow at the mention of Bella’s name, and I can’t help but chuckle.

“Strictly professional, of course. I have my sights on someone else, Charlie.”

“Keep it that way. I’ll text her and see if she’s free.”

“Great. Arrange for tonight? I have a pit stop to make first.”

◆◆◆

I wait by the fire for Indy to finish her shift. She’s talking about me to Henry. I can tell because he can’t stop looking over at me, and the chef is getting pissed. He rakes his eyes down my body with obvious intrigue and repeatedly gasps, slapping a hand over his mouth, on Indy’s shoulder, or just straight up biting down on his knuckles. My bet is that she’s talking about the bar . . . nothing is going to harness a reaction like me slipping into her whilst we were sat opposite James and Holly.

I watch as Henry pushes Indy in my direction, the chef’s head poking out the porthole window to the kitchen, a deep line between his brows.

The idea hits me like a shot to the head. The vision of what’s to come, how I can get the future that I want, the future that Indy wants. It’s so obvious. But first, I need the chef.

He needs to get his shit together. I lift off the worn armchair and head to the kitchen, pushing through the swinging doors to find a hunched-over Scott chopping carrots with the accuracy of a sniper.

“Hey man—”

“Get out of my kitchen.” He points the knife at the door, and I hold my hands up, a smirk pulling at my lips. He really doesn’t like me, and my next move is either going to change that, or make him double down.

“Give me five minutes, and I’ll head back to Seattle forever.”

His eyes narrow as his ears perk up. Yeah, he likes the idea of me being away from here. Even though the whole town knows I’m into Indy . . . he still can’t move past me flirting with Henry to help put a rocket up his ass.

“Go on . . .”

“I have a proposition for you.”

Chapter Twenty

December 31

Indy

“Do you think Mav has been acting strange today?” I ask Henry, who clicks on something on the front desk computer.

“Oh my God, have you seen that Charlotte Buckingham is dating Prince Luca from Orzanna? He could whisk me off to his palace any day of the week.”

“Ahem.” Scott coughs, his stern expression as unhappy as it has been all week since Mav came to town. Henry blushes, his mouth parting a little. “I’ll see you for my shift tomorrow, Indy.”

“Sure thing, thanks for all your hard work the last few days, Scott.”

He nods sternly, keeping his eyes off Henry before he turns and walks through the front door.

Henry’s blush has spread down his neck. I could let the fire burn out for all the heat that’s coming off him.

“He’s hot and cold, that one. One minute he’s up my ass, not in the way I’d like, about being professional, the next he’s staring me down like I’ve just committed a felony, and then he’s whispering in my ear like he’s going to do all the things that I’ve been fantasizing about in the kitchen.”

“Not in the kitchen, Henry."

“Girl, don’t even start with me. You already told me how Mav bent you over in a guest bedroom.”

I attempt a rebuttal, but he’s absolutely right. Still, food is not prepared in a guest bedroom, and we tidied up after ourselves. No one would have known.